Iran holds first election since 2009, early results predict rocky times for Ahmadinejad

Iran held a parliamentary election Friday, the country's first nationwide poll since 2009, news sources report.

Early election results predict rivals of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will gain strong control over the Iranian parliament, the Guardian reports.

According to the Guardian, this was illustrated with an an embarrassing loss by Ahmadinejad's sister, Parvin Ahmadinejad, to a rival in their hometown.

About 3,400 candidates are vying for 290 seats in the parliamentary election, CNN reports. Friday's election was the first vote since a disputed vote triggered massive protests nearly three years ago.

Security forces used deadly force to crack down on the opposition. Presidential candidates Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi were placed under house arrest, where they remain, according to CNN.

Ahmadinejad openly challenged the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, causing him to lose conservative votes. Of 197 winners declared by midday Saturday, at least 102 were these conservatives, according to the Guardian.

Of the people who did not to vote, one sentiment was the speculation that the results are unfair.

"These elections have been rigged since 1979 and always will be until the mullahs stop running this country into the ground. I am not voting today because my vote does not count and never has counted," an art student from the city of Shiraz told CNN.